Table Of Contents

1. British Museum
2. The Mütter Museum
3. National Portrait Gallery
4. The Field Museum
5. The Wallace Collection
6. Van Gogh Museum 
7. Frick Museum
8. Rijksmuseum
9. The American Museum of Natural History
10. The State Hermitage Museum
11. V&A
12. MET

British Museum

The British Museum in London, England, is where you can find over two million years of human history and culture. It contains some world-famous objects, including the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures and Egyptian mummies. 

Curator’s Corner

Their youtube series called ‘Curator’s Corner‘ introduces you to the various curators working in the museum. They take the time to show you different interesting objects from their specialties. And most of the videos are set, literally in their “corner” or office space. This is just another little treat since you feel like you are being let into their private world. Never to be seen otherwise. One of my favourite curators is Naomi Speakman, who is the curator for late medieval Europe. She loves exploring the fantastical world of medieval bestiaries and the mythical creatures found within. Seeing as these items are so old it’s amazing how she breathes new life into them!

Curator’s Tour

Since many museums’ exhibitions were not viewable to the public when the world shut down, the curators turned to online video to take viewers on a tour of their displays. These tours come in both shorter videos and live tours, which are hour-long specials hosted by various experts. It’s such a unique way to view these incredible exhibitions despite not being there in person.

The Mütter Museum

The Mütter Museum is America’s Finest Museum of Medical History. The museum aims to help the public appreciate the mysteries and beauty of the natural human body. The museum hopes to help people learn more about the diagnosis and disease treatment throughout history. Inside the museum, you’ll find some of the most incredible collections of anatomical specimens, medical instruments, cabinets of curiosity and more!

While the museum is not for the faint-hearted, their videos are an extraordinary adventure! Especially when we are amid a world-wide pandemic, their exhibitions on the 1918 Influenza Pandemic seem almost eerily apt. Their half-hour-long museum tour is an excellent introduction to what the museum is all about and worth your time to check out!

National Portrait Gallery

London’s National Portrait Gallery has been one of the most important art institutions since 1856. But today, with modern technology, we are being invited into the museums to discover the stories behind the world’s greatest paintings and artists. Their online youtube channel contains interviews with leading art experts, live recordings of talks and events, and insights into our latest exhibitions. 

10 minutes Talks

Their 10-minute talks series is one of my favourites for anyone who wants to get a little primer into art history but doesn’t want to get overwhelmed with information. These short segments study just one painting by one artist. Different curators and producers from the museums lead you through the artwork, the hidden meanings and any historical context which lends itself to studying the painting with more intention.

5-Minute Meditation

Another fascinating tidbit that they have been producing during the pandemic are these 5-Minute Meditations. This series is all about blending mindfulness and art appreciation. You grab a water or coffee and sit back with the gentle voices of the curators guiding you through the lines and textures of the painting as you have moments of self-reflection throughout. I have to admit; they are so soothing, they might even put you to sleep!

Talks for All

Lastly, if you are looking for something a little more in-depth, you can sit back and enjoy one of the longer videos called Talks for All. These lectures were initially recorded in the gallery in front of an audience, but now you can attend as an audience of one from the comfort of your own home. Something is oddly comforting about hearing the murmur of laughter or contemplation from the unseen audience in front of the lecturers. It makes you feel like you are really there.

The Field Museum

In Chicago, the Field Museum has been producing videos with the Chief Curiosity Correspondent for Youtube for the past eight years! Hosted by Emily Graslie, former volunteer of the University of Montana Zoological Museum, her heart burstingly charming personality guides you through all different parts of their collection. In such a large museum like the Field Museum, there are plenty of aspects of their collection that aren’t even on display in the museum but hidden away in the archives. Well, these videos put you behind the scenes in some of the unseen parts of the museum. One of my favourite episodes is all about their rare book room! There are also such topics as the Whale Warehouse, museums taxidermy, meteorites and more!

The Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection is a museum in London, housed in the grand Hertford House in Manchester Square. This was once the permanent residence of the Seymour family, the Marquesses of Hertford. The Marquesses of Hertford, along with Sir Richard Wallace, for whom the museum is named after, amassed a vast collection of fine and decorative arts in their lifetime. These ranged from furniture, arms and armour, porcelain and Old Master paintings. Sir Richard Wallace bequeathed the collection to the British Nation in 1897 so that everyone could enjoy the collection.

Today, it really can, as much of the collection has been documented on video for all to see. Their playlist on the collection highlights is an excellent intro to all the wondrous things these collectors amassed over time.

Van Gogh Museum 

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is a museum dedicated solely to the works of Vincent Van Gogh. Famously, Vincent van Gogh only ever sold one painting during his lifetime, ‘The Red Vineyard.’ Today he is one of the world’s most notable painters, with his works selling for millions upon millions of dollars.

Throughout the pandemic, the Van Gogh museum has not only been creating entertaining videos for you to watch but tutorials for you to follow along with and learn as you go. Their series called ‘Let’s Paint Like Van Gogh‘ helps even the most beginning painter learn the simple techniques Van Gogh used to create his vivid and powerful masterpieces. They manage to simplify iconic parts of some of his paintings to allow you the chance to create your own at home!

In another series called ‘In the Picture,’ curators take you through their 2020 exhibition, which tells stories about identity and image, in 75 portraits.

Frick Museum

The Frick Collection in New York City houses the personal art collection of industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The museum is even located inside his old house on the Upper East Side. In addition to some old master paintings, the collection also includes fine furniture, decorative arts and more. Their 12-minute video introduction allows you to step inside the doors and look at the house almost as it was when Frick left it.

During the pandemic, they created many videos that allowed people to view their collection through a myriad of different themes. One of those series’ was called ‘Travels with a Curator,’ where curator Xavier F. Salomon, takes you on a virtual trip around the world. In the series, they study museums around the world and how they connect with the Frick Museum.

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum, located in Amsterdam, is the Dutch National Museum. Inside its great walls are pieces dedicated to the arts and history of Amsterdam. At the start of the pandemic, the Rijksmuseum wanted to give viewers worldwide access to the secrets of their galleries, so they started the series #RijksmuseumUnlocked. Throughout the series, various curators lead you through different parts of the museum to study themes and hidden meanings behind highlights from their collection.

Their newest series is called ‘Rijksmuseum in 60 seconds‘. These videos allow you to learn more about their collection in just one minute!

The American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History, located in New York City, is one of the world’s preeminent scientific and cultural institutions. Since opening its doors to the public in 1869, the museum attempts to help people discover and interpret information about the natural world around us. My favourite video series of theirs has got to be ‘Shelf Life‘! This series is relatively old, starting in 2014. The series is for curious minds and features curators opening doors, drawers and hidden away rooms to study rarely-seen items in the museum’s collection.

The State Hermitage Museum

I have long dreamt of visiting the Hermitage Museum, delving into the dark Russian winter only to wander the halls of this incredible fortress of beauty. The State Hermitage Museum is located in Saint Petersburg, Russia and is the second-largest art museum in the world! The collection was founded by Empress Catherine the Great and contains over three million items! And while you might not be able to view each one of those items in person, you can experience it through an AMAZING virtual tour!

In May 2020, Apple created a five-hour cinematic journey inside the Hermitage museum. Throughout the videos, you are lead through 45 galleries, view 588 masterpieces, and wonder at the beautiful live performances which take place inside some of their most sacred spaces. Even more incredibly, the video was shot in ONE CONTINUOUS TAKE! The music composed throughout the video is so hauntingly beautiful, and I cannot recommend watching this piece more! You don’t need to watch all five hours, but I think once you start watching, you’ll find yourself entranced.

V&A

The Victoria and Albert Museum (also known as the V&A) is the world’s leading museum of art and design. Founded in 1852, the V&A promotes innovation and communicates the importance of good design. The collection contains over 2.27 million objects, dating from 1600 to the present. This video, hosted by curator May Rosenthal Sloan, explores vintage citrus fruit wrappers as new forms of advertising in the 19th century. This was the video that first started my binging of the V&A’s youtube channel. The packaging feels so ephemeral and yet like a work of art all at the same time.

So many objects in the V&A’s collection are small trinkets. And while seeing them in person is a beautiful experience, being able to study them in microscopic detail on video is a unique experience. One of my favourite videos is called ‘Spotlight on Jewels‘. Academy Award-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne, jewellery designer Stephen Webster, British Vogue jewellery editor Carol Woolton and V&A curator Clare Phillips come together in this feature to reveal their favourite items from the collection.

MET

The MET or Metropolitan Museum of Art is America’s most famous art gallery. Located in the heart of New York City, the collection is home to over two million works of art! with so many objects in their collection and a slew of curators to keep it all running, the content they are producing online is superb! Their ‘Art, Explained‘ series is a beautiful way to pick your favourite items from the collection and learn a little bit more about them in a concise amount of time! There are over 80 items that have been documented in the videos, so there are lots to choose from.

Another series which I love is called ‘MET Stories‘. This 12-part series features stories from all different kinds of people, from chefs, fashion designers and even lawyers, telling stories about how the MET influenced or changed their lives.

Throughout the pandemics, the MET has also been creating videos that spark their viewers creativity. This is everything from learning how to make a soap carvings, sculpturing clay pots and my personal favourite, creating your cabinet of curiosity!

Hopefully these entertaining channels give you something to watch and inspire your mind throughout the rest of this pandemic. While we have to stay at home, we can still explore the world through these virtual travels!

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